Fitness
The ‘disgustingly small’ amount of exercise each day that slashes the risk of cancer: fitness expert
Exercising a “disgustingly small” amount per day can lower the risk of cancer, according to a fitness expert.
Nutritional scientist and professional bodybuilder Dr. Layne Norton claimed that “four minutes of vigorous activity a day” will greatly reduce an individual’s cancer risk.
“Exercise is one of the only things that you can do, independent of weight loss, that will improve all your health parameters,” Norton told host Dr. Rhonda Patrick on the FoundMyFitness podcast last week.
Citing a study published last year in JAMA Oncology, Norton said that researchers found that “vigorous physical activity” done “cumulative” throughout the day can lower the risk of cancer by 20%.
“I got in trouble because I called it a disgustingly small amount, but it really is,” the fitness expert shared.
He went on to reveal that the study found that exercising for “10 minutes” daily dropped the risk of cancer by 30%.
The study also found that just three short bursts of exercise per day can lead to a 40% reduced risk of cancer and cancer death and a 50% reduction in heart disease death.
“If you just go walk vigorously for 30 minutes in a day you’re killing it,” the nutritional scientist said.
While some may question the findings because it was a “cohort study,” Norton quickly pointed out that “randomized control trials” have found similar indications to exercise and cancer risk.
“We have randomized control trials looking at very short bursts of exercise, seeing improvements in glucose metabolism, blood lipids, inflammation, and then now the cognitive stuff too,” Norton shared.
The fitness guru also shared that short periods of exercise have been shown to improve mental health.
He explained that the “randomized control trial” found that men with “major depressive disorder or general anxiety disorder” who did two 25-minute sessions of resistance training a week for eight weeks saw “significantly improved symptoms.”
“The effect size for major depressive disorder was 1.7,” Norton said, citing a study released last year in Psychiatry Research.
“For those who aren’t familiar with effect sizes, .2 is a small effect size, 0.5 is modest, and 0.8. Anything above 0.8 is considered large, 1.7 is massive,” Norton said.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) — a class of drugs that are commonly prescribed to treat depression — usually fall between 0.3 to 0.8, and “the best you see is about 0.8,” he shared.
The professional bodybuilder clarified he wasn’t suggesting people should stop taking their SSRIs instead of working out but to consider other additional options to add to treatment — like exercising.
“I’m not saying we should get rid of SSRIs and have everybody exercise because sometimes maybe someone needs an SSRI just to get out of bed and actually go exercise,” Norton said. “But if we’re looking at how powerful that lever is, that’s amazing.”
However, nutritional scientists understand that getting started with routine exercise can be challenging and suggest that listeners consider it like “brushing your teeth.”
“Do you feel motivated to brush your teeth? No, you do it because you know if you don’t brush your teeth, they’re going to go to crap,” Norton said. “The same thing happens with your body if you don’t exercise.”
According to Johns Hopkins cardiologist Dr. Seth Martin, the average resting heart rate is between 60 and 100 beats per minute (BPM).
The “sweet spot” for exercise depends on a person’s age, and the target heart rate is “usually between 50 percent and 85 percent” of their maximum safe heart rate.
For a 50-year-old, it’s crucial to calculate the maximum heart rate, which can be obtained by subtracting the age from 220. In this case, it’s 170 BPM, Martin shared.
If someone aims for a 50% exertion level, their target should be 50% of that maximum, 85 BPM.
However, if a person wants to push themself to 85% of the maximum, their target should be 145 BPM.
The target heart rate that a 50-year-old should aim for during exercise is 85 to 145 BPM.
Martin noted that it’s important not to “get overly fixated on numbers” and instead just strive to exercise regularly.
GLP-1 medications have reshaped the conversation around weight loss, but fitness experts are quick to point out that the blueprint for a strong, healthy body hasn’t budged. In fact, it’s never mattered more. The fundamentals of healthy living, from strength training and prioritizing protein to staying active, remain essential for preserving muscle, supporting metabolism and creating results that last. Here’s what top trainers want everyone taking a GLP-1 to know.
“Weight changes quickly, but structure doesn’t,” says Tracy Anderson (@tracyandersonmethod), founder of her namesake movement catalog. For anyone relying on GLP-1s without prioritizing movement, she has a clear warning: The body you’re uncovering still needs tending. “The health of your metabolism relies a lot on how you interact with your muscles.” And for Anderson, that means keeping movement varied and consistent. “You want to recruit as much activity as you possibly can in your body. It’s not enough to just say, ‘I’m going to lift; I’m going to build muscle.’ Things atrophy, and you want to keep as much awake and as much alert as you possibly can.”
“When you’re on a GLP-1, as much as 40 percent of the weight you lose may be lean muscle mass,” explains Kira Jones (@kirajones), founder of Cacti Wellness, who adds that the fix for this is non-negotiable. “It’s essential that GLP-1 users actively work to gain and maintain strength and build muscle. Muscle protects your metabolism long-term and provides that toned appearance.” Her advice: Strength train two to three times a week with weight that genuinely challenges you, prioritize protein at every meal and protect your recovery. “Eating well and exercising means nothing if you don’t give your body time to properly digest food, rebuild muscle and release stress.”
Nicole Winhoffer (@nicolewinhoffer), founder of the NW Method, has watched GLP-1s change not only her clients’ bodies, but also their relationship with movement. The risks she highlights are both physical and behavioral, particularly when medication replaces lifestyle habits. “For some individuals, GLP-1s can work best when paired with natural long-term habits around nutrition, movement and overall wellness.” But, she’s also seen something more encouraging: clients who feel better in their bodies showing up differently in the studio. “I would encourage anyone on a GLP-1 to incorporate dance into their routine. Dancing is a great way to improve self-esteem and build confidence in both social settings and personal style.”
It never feels like there’s enough time in the day – after prioritising your kids, work and other commitments, simply finding an opportunity to get in the gym can prove tricky. But instead of obsessing over gym sessions, Lawrence Price – former professional rugby player, coach and recent guest on MH’s Built for Life podcast – says busy dads should instead prioritise three weekly pillars.
These pillars are less about creating a perfect environment and more about building consistency that works with your life. The idea is that if life gets hectic and one pillar drops off temporarily, the other two pillars keep progress moving.
‘If pillar one is out the window because we can’t train for a couple of weeks, we can still manipulate things by making sure we’re hit hitting pillar one and three by getting those things on point,’ Price tells MH.
The 3 Pillars Every Busy Dad Should Follow
1. Increase Your Daily Movement
Price is a big proponent of increasing your NEAT – non-exercise activity thermogenesis – which is the energy your body uses for daily, non-structured exercises. These include things like walking more, taking the stairs instead of the lift or escalators, and moving during phone calls.
‘If your training window for the day has gone, then the reality is you can still take phone calls on your feet, you can take the stairs. It’s just boring to talk about – it’s unsexy, it’s uncool. But if you get people into that mindset where, whatever your life looks like, you’re prioritising that need. It’s 15% of your total daily expenditure or more,’ Price says.
‘Even even when your training window is put on the back burner, because the hierarchy of needs outside of your own health needs is obviously undulating and sometimes it pulls us away, whatever circumstance you have during the week, just moving more is something you can go towards.’
2. Strength Training
There’s no such thing as training too little – if you’ve only got time for one gym session a week, then make the most of that time and incorporate some strength training. Compound movements help to stimulate muscle growth efficiently.
‘Resistance training is the second pillar. Even if you only get one or two sessions in a week and it’s a really targeted, simple, basic functional hypertrophy routine, you know that when you’re sitting at your desk or when you’re doing the school run, your body is trying to adapt to that stimulus.’
‘If pillars one and two are the energy output pillars, pillar three is the energy input pillar,’ Price concludes.
‘If we have a rough idea of eating in alignment with our energetic needs and body composition goals, even if the environment changes we can still embody the habits and actions that align with our goals and and our visions.’
This is crucial for when you might not have time to train as much as you’d like – adapting your nutrition will still keep you on track with your goals, even if you’re expending less daily energy.
If there’s one thing Kori Sampson knows, it’s how to optimise your body composition for performance. To tap into his knowledge as an elite athlete and coach, we asked him to create a 4-week plan to help you move faster, recover quicker and keep pushing when the fatigue sets in – all while improving your muscle-to-fat ratio.
Ready to build muscle, burn fat and come out the other side looking, feeling and performing better? Click here to get 14 days of free access to the plan via the Men’s Health app.
Ryan is a Senior Writer at Men’s Health UK with a passion for storytelling, health and fitness. Having graduated from Cardiff University in 2020, and later obtaining his NCTJ qualification, Ryan started his career as a Trainee News Writer for sports titles Golf Monthly, Cycling Weekly and Rugby World before progressing to Staff Writer and subsequently Senior Writer with football magazine FourFourTwo.
During his two-and-a-half years there he wrote news stories for the website and features for the magazine, while he also interviewed names such as Les Ferdinand, Ally McCoist, Jamie Redknapp and Antonio Rudiger, among many others. His standout memory, though, came when getting the opportunity to speak to then-Plymouth Argyle manager Steven Schumacher as the club won League One in 2023.
Having grown up a keen footballer and playing for his boyhood side until the age of 16, Ryan got the opportunity to represent Northern Ireland national futsal team eight times, scoring three goals against England, Scotland and Gibraltar. Now past his peak, Ryan prefers to mix weightlifting with running – he achieved a marathon PB of 3:31:49 at Manchester in April 2025, but credits the heat for failing to get below the coveted 3:30 mark…
You can follow Ryan on Instagram or on X
Fitness
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